Preserving Good News for the Soul

Twenty years after its founding, Baylor’s Black Gospel Archive (BGA) stands as one of the world’s foremost programs dedicated to preserving Black sacred music. In this Q&A, Stephen Newby, D.M.A., The Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship; Darryl Stuhr, M.M. ’98, director of the BGA; and Hannah Engstrom, M.A. ’18, digital project curator, share their insights on the importance of the Black Gospel Archive and the great work of the team.

What is Black gospel music, and what distinguishes it from other forms of spiritual music?

Newby: “Black gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ!” As gospel historian Horace Clarence Boyer says, Black gospel music is a music that reflects the personal religious experience of the African American community, using the musical and rhetorical devices of the Black Church — call and response, syncopation, improvisation, hand-clapping and foot-stomping — to convey the message of the Gospel.

What obstacles make preserving gospel music more challenging today?

Stuhr: Unfortunately, a lot of recordings — especially independently produced or locally distributed ones — have been lost due to being thrown out, damaged or simply overlooked. Some of the rarer recordings are now ending up in the hands of private collectors, which makes them harder to access and more expensive. And as artists, producers and community members grow older, we risk losing their firsthand stories and context unless we are able to document them in time.

Can you share a meaningful discovery that illustrates the power of preservation?

Engstrom: Last year, we acquired the Saviour Home Library, featuring recordings by Black gospel artists and choirs from the Los Angeles area, many of which are unique to this archive. Shortly before we traveled to retrieve the materials, wildfires broke out nearby. The music could have been lost entirely, as much of it exists nowhere else.

What would be lost if these recordings were not actively archived?

Newby: Without this music, our artistic vision of expression and embodiment of the Gospel of Jesus Christ would be lost. We would lose this incredible treasury — these ancient-future artifacts that help to shape and form future artistic expression of Black people. Wherever there are stories to tell, there are songs to sing.